MFIA CLINICAL FELLOWSHIP
Starting July 1, 2025
The Information Society Project (ISP) at Yale Law School is now accepting applications for a fellowship position with the Media Freedom & Information Access Clinic (MFIA). MFIA is a law student clinic that promotes a functioning democracy by defending press freedom and free speech, safeguarding public access to reliable information, and holding government to account. MFIA pursues this mission by providing pro bono legal services, conducting impact litigation, and developing policy initiatives. Since its founding in 2009 as the first law school clinic dedicated to defending the rights of newsgatherers and improving government accountability, the MFIA Clinic has litigated cases on the cutting edge of digital free expression and achieved successes for a wide range of clients, from individual investigative journalists and major news organizations to whistleblowers, scholars, and non-profit advocacy organizations.
The duties of the Clinical Fellow include:
Assuming overall responsibility for selected cases on the MFIA docket and supervising Yale Law School students in the Clinic.
Assisting the Clinic’s intake process and shaping its docket.
Teaching several substantive and skill-based classes to students as part of the Clinic’s weekly seminar.
Supervising summer law student interns at the Clinic and covering Clinic cases during semester breaks.
Coordinating the Access and Accountability Conference hosted each fall by MFIA and the Floyd Abrams Institute for Freedom of Expression.
- Engaging in the scholarly activities of the ISP, which include regular academic lunches, workshops, conferences, and talks.
The candidate must have:
At least two years of relevant litigation experience, including some demonstrated interest in the fields of media law, First Amendment, FOIA, Internet law, administrative law, or intellectual property law.
Admission to at least one state bar.
Excellent legal research and writing skills.
An exceptional ability to work with others, including students, staff, clients, and outside counsel.
Excellent communication skills.
The ability to juggle multiple projects and work under pressure to meet deadlines.
The ideal candidate will also have experience litigating with and supervising law students or more junior attorneys.
The ISP and MFIA value diverse life experiences and backgrounds and encourage candidates from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in First Amendment and media law to apply. MFIA seeks candidates who are interested in pursuing a career in litigation or public advocacy on issues surrounding digital-age free expression and government transparency.
The Fellow will work closely with the Clinic’s team of litigators, which includes Clinic Director David Schulz, and Fellows Tobin Raju, Stacy Livingston, and Jennifer Borg. The Fellowship is a full-time position based at Yale Law School in New Haven. The position starts on July 1 and lasts for one year, renewable for a second year. The salary for the fellowship will be $80,000-88,500 depending on experience. Fellows also receive Yale health benefits and access to university facilities, as well as a travel budget for academic and clinic conferences.
Application Instructions
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning January 16, 2025. Applications should include:
A statement of no more than three (3) pages describing the applicant’s interest in the fellowship, relevant practice experience, and career goals;
A copy of the applicant’s resume;
A law school transcript; and
At least one sample of recent legal writing, preferably a brief or memorandum.
Application materials should be sent (in electronic form) to Heather Branch at heather.branch@yale.edu. Please indicate clearly in the subject line of your email that you are applying for the MFIA Fellowship.
Please note that the salary is subject to a review of candidates’ qualifications by Yale Human Resources.
For further information, please feel free to contact MFIA Clinic Director David Schulz at david.schulz@yale.edu.
MFIA is a program of the Abrams Institute at Yale Law School and is administered by the ISP. The Abrams Institute and the ISP are directed by Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment Jack Balkin. In addition to MFIA Clinic Director David Schulz, visiting clinical lecturers Jennifer Borg and David Bralow oversee the Clinic’s “DocProject,” a dedicated team of Yale Law students that advises documentarians and independent filmmakers during the production phase of their projects, working on libel, privacy, and other newsgathering issues. More information about the MFIA Clinic, including its current docket, can be found on the Clinic website.
Yale University considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of, an individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Yale discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from sex discrimination in educational programs and activities at institutions that receive federal financial assistance. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to the University’s Title IX Coordinator, at TitleIX@yale.edu, or to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 8th Floor, Five Post Office Square, Boston MA 02109-3921. Telephone: 617.289.0111, Fax: 617.289.0150, TDD: 800.877.8339, or email: ocr.boston@ed.gov.
MFIA SUMMER INTERNSHIP 2025
The Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School invites applications for summer legal internship positions. The summer legal interns will assist in all aspects of the Clinic’s ongoing litigation and other activities.
About MFIA
The Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic is a law student clinic dedicated to promoting a functioning democracy by defending press freedom and free speech, safeguarding public access to reliable information, and holding government to account. The Clinic pursues this mission by providing pro bono legal services, conducting impact litigation, and developing policy initiatives. The Clinic’s current matters include, among others:
• Lawsuits defending the newsgathering rights of journalists, including a challenge to retaliatory discrimination among journalists by public officials, and protection of news sources, including whistleblower defense and challenges to restrictions on government employee speech;
• Challenges to the spread of disinformation, including developing legal theories to target election-related lies;
• Freedom of Information Act litigation seeking disclosure of records concerning controversial FDA drug approvals, workplace sexual misconduct at the CIA, and the United States government’s torture program in the wake of September 11th; and
• Litigation and policy work to expand meaningful public access to court records and challenging the lack of transparency and accountability in public agencies’ use of algorithms.
More information about our work is available on MFIA’s website. The Clinic is a program of the Floyd Abrams Institute for Freedom of Expression at the Information Society Project.
Summer Legal Interns
The summer legal interns will be responsible for assisting in all aspects of the Clinic’s currentmatters, including drafting pleadings and briefs in pending lawsuits, drafting FOIA requests and other submissions to government agencies, and conducting legal research in support of current or future cases. The legal interns will also have the opportunity to work on a research project of their choosing related to the topics of media freedom, information access, and free speech.
Summer legal interns are expected to work in New Haven at Yale Law School for the first 1-2 weeks of their internship. The Clinic and the summer legal interns may agree to a partial or fully remote arrangement for the remainder of the internship term.
The summer legal interns will work under the supervision of David Schulz, Director of the MFIA Clinic and Senior Counsel at Ballard Spahr LLP; and MFIA Fellows Tobin Raju, Stacy Livingston, and Jennifer Borg.
Qualifications
The position is open to law students at accredited U.S. law schools who have completed at least one year of law school. Applicants should have an interest in issues of press freedom, open government, free speech, law and technology, and/or civil liberties.
Salary
MFIA summer interns receive a stipend of $666/week for up to 12 weeks, with a 10-week minimum commitment. Start date is flexible.
Application Instructions
Submit a cover letter, résumé, and law school transcript (unofficial transcripts OK) – ideally, as a single PDF file. There is no need to submit a writing sample at this time, but one may be requested of applicants.
Applications will be accepted immediately and will be considered on a rolling basis until March 1, 2025.
The positions may be filled before the listed deadline, and we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible.
Applications or inquiries should be submitted by email to:
Tobin Raju
Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic
tobin.raju@yale.edu
Please include “MFIA Summer Internship Application” in the subject line of your email.
Application Deadline: March 1, 2025